Publication Announcement! From FIYAH to LeVAR BURTON READS!

by LP Kindred

On August 18th, 2020, my short story, "Your Rover Is Here," was featured on LeVar Burton Reads.

Its previous episodes feature the likes of NK Jemisin, Cadwell Turnbull, Nisi Shawl, Kurt Vonnegut, Max Gladstone, and Amal El-Mohtar. So as a neo-pro, this is a big deal for me.

But on a personal level, I grew up on Reading Rainbow, in part because PBS came through clearly.

When I was in second and third grade, I went to my Granny's after school program. (Granny was a boss.) We walked home together and hunkered down to watch two hours of Star Trek: the Next Generation. 

When I went to a school for wayward boys, the administration didn't have the range so for 5 years we watched Alex Haley's Roots from the beginning. Because February is the shortest month,  we rarely got to the second actor who played Kunta Kinte. 

Before I made it to high school, LeVar Burton represented Black History, Black Present, and Black Future for me. So the idea that he read my urban fantasy - a Black MFA student trying to make his rideshare bonus when trouble gets in his ride - means more than I have words to say. 

"Your Rover Is Here" was originally published in digital by Fiyah Literary Magazine's April 2020 issue. If you're looking for Black SFF, do the right thing: comb their back issues and subscribe today!